The Cardiovascular Council consists of Society members interested in the performance and application of cardiovascular nuclear medicine procedures. It seeks to provide a forum for discussion and development of cardiac scintigraphic methods in an effort to realize the most beneficial applications. The Council actively seeks individuals who share this goal.

At the SNMMI Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, I had the honor of succeeding Dr. Panithaya Chareonthaitawee as President of the Cardiovascular Council (CVC). I thank all of the members of the CVC for your ongoing support and look forward to our continued success.

We are all grateful to our Immediate Past-President, Dr. Panithaya Chareonthaitawee, for her leadership over the last year. Her management style, an ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’, was highly effective with many significant achievements; including the successful Mid-Winter and Annual Meetings, and the joint SNMMI/ASNC publications on ‘The Role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Cardiac Sarcoid Detection and Therapy Monitoring’ (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28765228) and ‘Clinical Quantification of Myocardial Blood Flow’ (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29242396). She gently and effectively engaged and encouraged the Council to achieve our goals and exceed our expectations. She furthered our efforts for outreach to other cardiovascular imaging societies by collaboration on joint statements and encouraging participation and co-sponsorship in our educational programs.

The 2018 SNMMI Annual Meeting was outstanding. The CVC was well represented with the Categorical Session ‘Case-Based Review of Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging’ and numerous Continuing Education Sessions with topics ranging from ‘Measurement of Myocardial Blood Flow’ to ‘Cardiovascular Molecular Imaging’. The CVC sponsored sessions were well attended and received excellent evaluations.

We are looking forward to the 2019 SNMMI Mid-Winter Meeting on January 17-19 in sunny Palm Springs, California. The featured theme is ‘Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine’ with ten sessions and 40 presentations sponsored by the CVC. Topics begin with a refresher on basic concepts of stress testing and move on to exciting new areas of research and discovery. World renowned speakers will discuss multimodality imaging of amyloidosis, sarcoidosis and infection of cardiac valves, PET measurement of myocardial blood flow and NaF PET imaging of valvular and coronary vascular disease. All presentations will be case-based with much emphasis and time allotted for audience and speaker interaction.

This is an exciting time to be a professional in Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine. PET myocardial perfusion imaging is becoming established as an important clinical tool for patient care and is now reimbursed in the USA and Canada. Cardiac nuclear imaging has evolved and now includes detection and monitoring of amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, vasculitis and infection of cardiac valves and devices. We are well positioned to assist and direct delivery of optimized patient-centered care. We are meeting the challenges of changing reimbursement models and facilitating the development of Appropriate Use Criteria for selection of cardiac nuclear testing.

I am sure that we are all looking forward to the Mid-Winter Meeting in Palm Springs, California and the opportunity for learning from the experts and relaxing in the sun.

The Society recognizes the need for sub-specialty interests/expertise within the field of nuclear medicine and moleuclar imaging. Councils provide the expertise, professional networking and educational programs for nuclear medicine professionals in respective areas and serve as a resource for development and implementatin of Society policies.

Council membership is voluntary. Councils adhere to Society Bylaws and policies, while operating under its own Operating Procedures, as approved by the House of Delegates, and its own business plan and budget, as approved by the SNMMI Board of Directors.

The Cardiovascular Council (CVC) works to serve and be a resource for members of the council itself who have special interest and expertise in the field of cardiovascular nuclear medicine, as well as to SNMMI as a whole in its missions and endeavors.

As part of its mission, the CVC organizes scientific and continuing education sessions at the Mid Winter Meeting and the Annual Meeting of the Society. These activities are for members of the council and for the SNMMI membership at large, and they are also open to participation and attendance by people from outside the SNMMI. The CVC also supports additional programs on specialized topics, such as cardiac PET/CT, CV Molecular Imaging and Cost Effectiveness Research. News and activities of the CVC are circulated to council members in a semi-annual newsletter. This and other professional information will also be available through the CVC webpage, and efforts underway to expand awareness of cardiovascular nuclear medicine studies to patients and providers via Outreach links through the SNMMI website.

Don’t Wait! Join Now!

The investment to join the Cardiovascular Council is minimal – only $20 annually. Your membership dollars help us immensely in sponsoring quality programs while promoting medical education, research and patient care related to Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine.